This invention relates generally to plumbing tools and more particularly concerns a tool specifically intended for the repair of frost-free silcock seats.
Frost-free silcocks, like most washered faucets or spigots, present no great difficulty in changing worn out or damaged washers. The faucet bonnet is simply removed, the stem withdrawn and the washer on the end of the stem replaced, usually involving the manipulation of a single screw. But, when the valve seat of a frost-free silcock is damaged, the problem becomes significantly more complex than is encountered with respect to other faucets or spigots.
Most other faucets would be disassembled and the damaged valve seat replaced. But the handle and spout of the frost-free silcock are mounted externally to an exterior building wall with the neck of the silcock extending through the exterior wall so that the washer and silcock seat which cooperate to close the valve are located in the interior or heated area of the building. In other words, the silcock is part of the wall construction. Consequently, in present practice, when a frost free silcock seat is damaged, it is necessary to break through the wall in order to remove the silcock. This obviously greatly increases the cost of what might otherwise be a relatively simple plumbing operation. Nevertheless, this is the common procedure followed in repairing frost-free silcock seats today. This problem could be avoided if the silcock seat could be reground and smoothed.
It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a tool which facilitates the repair of frost-free silcock seats without requiring damage to exterior or interior walls. It is also an object of the invention to provide a tool which facilitates access to a frost-free silcock seat without removing the silcock from the wall. Similarly, it is an object of this invention to provide a tool that is usable with the usual lavitory, kitchen and tub faucets as well as frost-free silcocks. It is a further object of the invention to provide a tool that will be usable by a typical homeowner as well as an experienced plumber. Another object of the invention is to provide a tool readily adaptable for use with the usual household power tools. And it is an object of the invention to provide a tool which has an easily replaceable grinding stone to prolong the life of the tool.